Nor were we ever advised while airborne by the AWACS command and control platform, or any calls on the Guard frequency, that there was a live-fire exercise ongoing anywhere in the war zone. Sunday, May 19: A U.S. Special forces soldier is killed in a firefight near Skhin, Paktia province.[5]. Wednesday, February 27: Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai attended a special ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, India. . The . Monday, July 1: In central Uruzgan province, a U.S. B-52 struck suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban cave and bunker complexes, while an AC-130 gunship strafed several villages. As another unnamed senior officer rightly observed, No tactical plan ever survives the first encounter with the enemy. The night curfew in Kabul was lifted for the first time in 23 years. The two most significant zones were code-named Objectives Remington and Ginger. The second group then fired at the patrol. As the armor column reached the battle zone on 9 March, driving winds and snow forced al-Qaeda holdouts to retreat into their caves. Hereafter referred to as DOD News Transcript. The M3 has enjoyed success with units such as the 25th Infantry, 10th Mountain and 82nd Airborne divisions in Afghanistan. Its first commander, Major General William C. Lee, observed that "the 101st"has no history, but has a Rendezvous with Destiny.". October 7, 2001: On the same day that the United States begins operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Canada announces that it is prepared to contribute sea, land and air forces to America's Operation Enduring Freedom under the Canadian operation named OP APOLLO. As of 2 March 2002, Operation Anaconda was the largest combat operation in Afghanistan of the War on Terrorism that began after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001. As an example, she cited the case of Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, who, while deployed to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division, was responsible for reconstruction. The Board concluded that the American F-16 pilots contravened established procedures and were the cause of the incident. To date, Germany had a total of 10,000 troops serving abroad, second only to the United States. Attending the event were over 130 ARCS staff members and volunteers, representatives of the Afghan government and of local and foreign non-government organizations. [13], Thursday, July 12: A U.S. compound in Tarin Kowt comes under small arms fire but no casualties are reported.[14]. Hekmatyar also supported the return of the king. Saturday, February 23: Two rockets are fired at the U.S. base in Kandahar, but don't inflict any damage.[3]. Lger was awarded the South-West Asia Service Medal and the United States Bronze Star Medal posthumously. The hole left by Zias retreat had to be plugged. A bus carried soldiers of the brigade, based at Fort Carson, Colo., to board a . Wednesday, April 17: Two U.S. pilots, Majors Harry Schmidt and William Umbach, returning from a 10-hour patrol, at more than 15,000 feet, spotted surface-to-air fire and feared it was from Taliban forces. The Canadians were firing anti-tank and machine-gun rounds horizontally, not vertically in a way that would have threatened the two F-16s. Tuesday, November 19: The newest U.N. refugee camp of Zhare Dasht was criticized as being too remote, overcrowded and dangerously close to a mine field. Friday, February 8: Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai agreed to cooperate on a proposed Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline project to transport natural gas from Central Asia to Pakistan via Afghanistan. Private First Class Jason Ashline was struck by two bullets in the chest but survived because the rounds lodged in his vest. U.S. forces respond with small arms and mortar fire, and called in airstrikes. One soldier told the press that Zia punked out on us. Some training at Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) Bridgeport is recommended for units deploying to those areas. Thousands of people gathered outside a police station in the Dasht-e Barchi district of Kabul, Afghanistan after claims that a policeman tried to kidnap a woman there. 22 weeks of One Station Unit Training, which includes . [4], Sunday, April 14: A U.S. airbase is attacked by two RPGS. Daniel L. Douville, 33, of Harvey, Louisiana, assigned to the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida , died June 26 in Helmand Province . Later, a car at a nearby house was discovered riddled with bullets. It was Maj. Schmidt's right to roll in self-defense, even after the "hold fire" order. Sunday, December 1: A group of armed Afghans patrolling outside Shindand air base stopped another group of armed Afghans on the roadside. 5. They also had two blocking positions, one in a canyon running from the southeast of the valley and one running directly south. Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Viets: Rolling in would be a reasonable response because Maj. Schmidt was reasonable to believe that he was already in the threat envelope of a rocket-based weapons system. The commissions covered the provinces of Baghlan, Badakhshan, Kunduz and Takhar. . The women, held in a Kabul prison, would likely be released over the weekend. Forces Return Fire in Afghanistan", "World Briefing Asia: Afghanistan: U.S. Previously, all U.S. military operation had focused strictly on Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. forces step up attacks; Paul Haven, Army: Major Anaconda Fighting Over,, Abdul Mateen Hassankheil quoted in Charles Clover, Afghan rivalries blamed for US defeat,, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, Retreat of Afghan Allies Forced G.I.s to Take Lead in Fighting,, Jonathan Ewing, Mud, Cold and Shells: A Trench-Level View of the War in Afghanistan,, Gerry J. Gilmore, Anaconda Battle Plan Sound, Franks Says,, Hauser and Millership, Mountain battle ranges.. The lone man not accounted for was U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Neil C. Roberts, a door gunner.18. We thought we were all going to die.13 The wounded were evacuated at around 2000. The U.S. State Department strongly warns U.S. citizens against travel to Afghanistan. Pulls Troops From Battle: Afghan Force Divided,, Garamone; French air force deploys fighters in east Afghanistan,, Robert Burns, Marine Attack Helicopters Ordered Into Battle in Afghanistan: Pentagon Cites Progress,, Christine Hauser and Peter Millership, Mountain battle rages in Afghanistan,, Kathy Gannon, U.S. It was built in the desert on the outskirts of Kandahar to house about 60,000 refugees who had been living on Pakistani border. Wiercinski described the fight: We survived three mortar barrages during the day, and at one point we had between 9 to 10 al-Qaeda coming to do [kill] us. Wednesday, February 13: The United States Congress stepped in to find nearly $300m in humanitarian and reconstruction funds for Afghanistan after the Bush administration failed to request any money in the latest budget. Nathan Smith, members of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Within five minutes, a B-52 dumped its load and scored a direct hit on the mortar position, ending all movement.10. Thomson, USA) - Bagram Airfield; U.S. national support element TF Dragon Slayer / 5-5 Air Defense Artillery (USA) - Bagram Airfield; counter-rocket and -mortar mission at bases countrywide 12 32nd Light Infantry Battalion (Georgia) - Bagram Airfield and Kabul; base security 13 TF EOD / 184th Ordnance Battalion (Lt. Col. Keith Rowsey . The hilltop battle developed during a nighttime attempt to establish a new observation post overlooking a major al-Qaeda supply and escape route. Saturday, November 9: U.S. helicopters broke up a gun battle between Kuchis and local government forces over a land dispute. Tuesday, February 26: Accompanied by a strong 36-member delegation, which includes Foreign Minister Abdullah, Afghanistan interim head Hamid Karzai arrived in New Delhi, India to discuss efforts underway for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Sunday, February 3: In Gardez, Afghanistan, Afghan and United Nations mediators, joined by U.S. officials, extracted a conditional cease-fire agreement from Bacha Khan and Padshah Khan. Schmidt's testimony at his Article 32 hearing was that he believed his flight leader, Umbach, was under attack. They were poised to overrun the [U.S.] position. Two people had survived however, Omar Khadr and an unidentified man, one of whom threw a grenade killing Christopher J. Speer. Monday, March 11: Through his deputy, Qutbuddin Hilal, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar pledged support for Hamid Karzai. A minute later, after seeing another firing plume from an antitank weapon, Schmidt reported seeing "some men on a road, and it looks like a piece of artillery firing at us.". Published: Aug. 17, 2021 at 12:25 PM PDT. Students said at least six people died in the two days of unrest. Tuesday, June 18: An unidentified group launches rockets within Kabul, and several rockets land in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy. U.S. soldiers, scarce in numbers, are trying to secure a stronghold. Thursday, January 10: U.S. forces engaged in a firefight with unknown forces as a transport plane took off in Kandahar.[1]. His 450-man unit was caught in a mortar barrage and pre vented from entering Sirkankel. Thursday, March 21: UNICEF completed a "Back to school" project, providing thousands of basic packs for the schools, students and teachers in Afghanistan. Green and Pte. The unit, based out of Camp Lejeune, consisted of three infantry companies, a weapons company, and a headquarters and services company. FORT DRUM, New York (WWNY) - Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division remains in Afghanistan amid the Taliban's takeover of the country's capital city. Next to be withdrawn was the 10th Mountain force. The three-month, US$15 million project was funded by the Asian Development Bank. It was believed Defense Minister Mohammed Fahim was the target. India announced it would send 124 more busses to Afghanistan in addition to the 50 that it had already sent. Leger, Cpl. 9 were here. Others in Gardez believed that Khan implicated his enemies as members of al-Qaeda so the United States would remove them.45, One unnamed U.S. officer, supposedly familiar with Zias combat history, said that after Zias men took heavy fire, Zia probably held them out of the fight with the self-assured knowledge that U.S. forces would have to take up the slack. Jessica Lynch, missing since March 23 after an Iraqi ambush near Nasiriya, is rescued. Forces Gain Edge in Afghan Attack,, Diggers in heavy Afghan fighting, Australian Associated Press (AAP) via. Sunday, February 24: Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai arrived in Tehran, Iran to meet with reformist President Mohammad Khatami and his government and to exchange views on regional issues, including the future of Afghan refugees. The clash seemed like a last, defiant gesture. Wednesday, March 20: A Special forces soldier is wounded during a firefight near Khost. The ANA GS commands and controls all of Afghanistan . As . The two boards shared personnel information. This is not surprising given the nations culture.48, Several U.S. soldiers heaped derision on Zia, painting a picture of a well-prepared opposition that made ample use of advanced weaponry. [18], August 1826: During Operation Mountain Sweep, 2,000 U.S. and Afghan troops detain 10 suspects, they come under fire twice but sustain no casualties. The First Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fourth Infantry Division, is deploying to Iraq for a nine-month tour of duty. This article is based on open-source media reports as of 11 March 2002. May 2002: Combined Joint Task Force 180 becomes the most senior U.S. military headquarters in the country. The 1,000 Afghan reinforcements, under Northern Commander Gul Haider, were largely Tajik troops who had fought under their late commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud, against the Taliban.38. That was the Corps' effort to figure out . CSM (Unknown) Frank quoted in John F. Burns, Saying Battle is Reaching End, U.S. Sunday June 1: U.S. troops kill a suspected enemy fighter near Lwara.[9]. Germany had 1,200 soldiers in the force, and the Dutch 240, but those figures would be boosted after the transfer of command. The situation grew more tense when Pakistan dispatched extra troops to the border after the United States said it reserved the right to cross into Pakistan in hot pursuit of enemy fighters fleeing from Afghanistan. All five pilots agreed under oath that the dropping of the bomb by Schmidt was not an unreasonable action. Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders must have smelled blood, because the shift in U.S. tactics drew masses of them out of hiding and into combat. [26], Tuesday October 15: A rocket hits a U.S. bunker in Lwara amidst a rocket attack, U.S. forces detain three suspects. Dyer, Pte. Afghan officials characterized it as a "mistake". Brig Kamal Alam and Colonel Anwars Criticism of Chawinda and A.H Amin's Reply Defence Journal January 2002. But local Pashtuns have complained his forces have looted and oppressed them. . A United States F-16 fighter jet piloted by Air National Guard Major Harry Schmidt dropped a laser-guided 500-pound (230kg) bomb on the Canadians, who were conducting a night firing exercise at Tarnak Farms. Wednesday, November 27: A New Zealand telecoms company Argent Networks won a $4.5 million contract to develop cellular and internet services in Afghanistan. . Amin says that in the Pak Army Journal (Summer 97) Brig Nisar does not mention any order coming his way from his Brigade Comd on 8 Sept 1965. They had flown back and forth between Herat or Mashad, Iran and Ghor almost every day for five months, distributing 6,400 metric tons of food and seeds to more than 460,000 Afghans. This less-than-discreet officer also attempted to draw a parallel to the 1993 U.S. debacle in Mogadishu, Somalia. Japan also added a transport ship (carrying bulldozers and other heavy equipment for construction of airfields) to other Japanese vessels already taking part in the campaign. War in Afghanistan ended much as it began with U.S. Marines defending a runway. Friday, December 20: A U.S. soldier is killed during a gunfight in eastern Afghanistan. Friday, May 31: In an incident of friendly fire, U.S. troops killed three of their Afghan allies during a firefight. SYDNEY (Reuters) -New Zealand police were searching for eight people still missing after Cyclone Gabrielle struck two weeks ago, authorities said on Sunday, amid warnings of more wild weather for the nation's . Japan extended its logistics support for the U.S.-led anti-terrorism campaign in and around Afghanistan for another six months. A U.S. soldier is shot in the face in Kandahar by an unknown assailant. Friday, November 29: Australia announced it would contribute $1 million towards a project to help Afghanistan restore production of wheat and maize. Colonel David C. Nichols: A reasonably prudent F-16 pilot might have done the same thing. Spectre AC-130 gunships dumped 105millimeter fire into mujahideen positions while Apaches shot up enemy vehicles moving toward the fight along the narrow mountain roads twisting up steep valleys. Franks simply modified the Tora Bora tactics and sent in U.S.trained Afghans to block escape routes and do the fighting, only committing relatively large numbers of U.S. ground troops when Afghan allies ran into problems. Saturday, February 2: Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai established a special committee to investigate factional violence threatening the stability of Afghanistan. 2003 in Afghanistan. The Tajiks were tasked with helping drive hidden Taliban snipers and fighters from the valley villages of Sher Khan Khel, Babal Khel, and Marzak.39. However, disregarding all the alleged reckless maneuvers Maj. Schmidt made to reach the spot where he invoked self-defense, dropping a bomb at that instant was not unreasonable. International peacekeepers destroyed six missiles that had been seized two days earlier in an abandoned storage facility inKabul. It was the bloodiest deployment of the Bundeswehr in Germany . Richard Green and Pvt. Monday, November 11: A team of representatives of the Afghan Human Rights Commission and the U.N. was dispatched to the north to look into the reports that witnesses of mass killings were being harassed, detained, tortured and executed. To western journalists the T-55 tanks and BMP-1 personnel carriers of General Muhammad Nasims command looked like a moving museum. The soldiers claim Dan was killed by a blow from the sword before the giant was . The two planned to mend relations and work together to promote stability in Afghanistan. Thus considering all of the circumstances, the disclosures at issue were clearly warranted."[13]. The Board further concluded that correcting deficiencies in air coordination and control and tactical planning might have prevented the accident: " as much as the F-16 pilots bear final responsibility for the fratricide incident, there existed other systemic shortcomings in air coordination and control procedures, as well as mission planning practices by the tactical flying units, that may have prevented the accident had they been corrected."[5]. [25], October 5: A U.S. soldier in a helicopter northwest of Kandahar is wounded by gunfire, soldiers in the helicopter return fire killing one attacker and wounding another. I am no historian but some . The Tarnak Farm incident refers to the killing, by an American Air National Guard pilot, of four Canadian soldiers and the injury of eight others from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group (3PPCLIBG) on the night of April 17, 2002, near Kandahar, Afghanistan. A group of soldiers made the discovery on a scout mission in the desert of Afghanistan. The ceremony, which lasted about 15 minutes, was attended by cabinet ministers, diplomats and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani. Umbach's charges were later dismissed. I had to make that decision with what I now know, with the acuity of 20/20 hindsight, was imperfect information My perception was that we had been ambushed, as we had been briefed that Taliban were expected to use ambush tactics in and around Kandahar. During March 2002, the U.S. airlifted 1700 troops and 1,000 pro-government Afghan militia to take on between 300 and 1,000 al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters The shooting prompted U.S. forces to call in an airstrike on a building where the guard was believed hiding. Sunday, May 19: A U.S. Special forces soldier is killed in a firefight near Skhin, Paktia province.. Monday, May 20: Japan extended its logistics support for the U.S.-led anti-terrorism campaign in and around Afghanistan . FYI a vimana is an ancient flying machine described in . Pakistan claimed the building was on its side of the border, but the Americans claimed it was on the Afghan side. Soldiers of the 2nd Parachute Battalion returned fire, and the gunmen fled in a car. Because such an event in a combat area would have been so unusual and unexpected, information about such training would be the type of information we would note so that we could avoid it. This was a significant part of the defense of the two pilots. Friday, February 1: Snow at Kabul International Airport forced the plane of Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai to land in Bagram, as he returned after a week-long trip abroad that took him to the United States and the United Kingdom. . 2002. According to Muteen, the enemy was ready for martyrdom and will die to the last man.36, At high altitudes, troop rotation was an important factor in maintaining operational tempo. They also raided a school at a village mosque, setting fire to its wooden chairs and blackboard. Gunmen fired at the U.S. base near the central Afghan city of. U.S. Special Forces teams were with each Afghan general to help coordinate operations. A reasonable fighter pilot would have egressed the area, but that doesn't mean Maj. Schmidt and Maj. Umbach were reckless. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, "Army strongly denies charges that troops at Kandahar weren't attacked", "Two rockets fired toward Kandahar base, but fall outside perimeter", "DefenseLINK News: Soldier Wounded in Face in Kandahar, Afghanistan", "U.S. coalition's friendly fire kills 3 Afghans", "G.I. In 2020 the German Parliament has extended the Afghanistan mission for the last time. In a sign of improved Tehran-Kabul ties, Afghanistan honored the appeal, but said the flow would only be temporary. July 1, 2005 / 7:16 AM / CBS/AP. [24], September 28: A U.S. soldier is grazed by a bullet while in a convoy travelling to Kabul. KABUL, Afghanistan A week after two American soldiers disappeared in northwest Afghanistan, the body of one of them has been found by a military dive team, a NATO spokesman said . When allied troops searched the snow-covered mountains for caves and other signs of al-Qaeda fighters, they found several 57-millimeter recoilless rifles, an 82-millimeter mortar, some documents, and night-vision goggles identical to U.S. models. ; David Wood, Outnumbered U.S. force rakes al-Qaida forces,, Jim Garamone, Allies Aggressive in Fight Against Al Qaeda, Taliban,, Elliott Minor, Air Force Airman Killed in Afghanistan Remembered for Devoting His Life to Helping Others,, John F. Burns, U.S. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff. In all, the military is sending three infantry battalionsabout 3,000 troops to Afghanistan. Wednesday, November 13: 2,000 students assembled outside the gates of Kabul University, refusing to attend lessons until their demands for improved accommodation and justice for those who died in recent protests were met. The Tarnak Farm incident refers to the killing, by an American Air National Guard pilot, of four Canadian soldiers and the injury of eight others from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group (3PPCLIBG) on the night of April 17, 2002, near Kandahar, Afghanistan.. A United States F-16 fighter jet piloted by Air National Guard Major Harry Schmidt dropped a . The soldier was evacuated to the U.S. military's medical center in Landstuhl, Germany, then transferred to a nearby German hospital for more specific neurological treatment, and a week later flown home to the United States. I would not downplay the possibility that forces that moved into this area got into a heck of a firefight at some point that they did not anticipate. In a separate incident, another child in Kabul picked up a butterfly mine which blew off his hand. A B-52 bomber dropped seven 2,000-pound laser-guided bombs, killing at least seven. The deaths were the first of Canada's war in Afghanistan, and the first in a combat zone since the Korean War.[1]. Nov. 11, 2009. Troops Describe All-Day Shah-i-Khot Battle,, Army Capt. [failed verification] Michael Friscolanti summarized their comments in his book Friendly Fire: One of the issues highlighted by the Inquiry related to the use of amphetamines in combat. Staff Sgt. . Tuesday, April 2: In Kabul, Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf met with Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai, in the first visit by a Pakistani leader in more than 30 years. Elsewhere in the valley, 101st Airborne Division brigade commander Colonel Frank Wiercinski landed on a ridge to the south of Sirkankel with an 11-man detachment whose mission was to monitor Charlie Companys progress. The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy.It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe.. Served during one of the following times of military conflict: Afghanistan - September 18, 2001, through end of hostilities. Friday, August 23: The Czech Defense Ministry announced that some of the Czech troops currently stationed in Kuwait will be deployed in Afghanistan at the request of allies. Retreating under mortar and rocket fire, the Afghan column stumbled into a second ambush to the rear. Fritsche joined the Army in 2002, soon after graduating from high school, and was promoted to sergeant in April 2005. "Combat aviation is not a science. June 26. Several arrests were made. Back in 2001-2002, Bronzi said, he was an instructor at the Infantry Officer Course and participated in the then "Project Metropolis" experiments. To date, Afghanistan's national army had only 1,000 men. The Pentagon is sending 3,000 troops - including two Marine Corps battalions - to Afghanistan to support the evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Kabul. I take exception to those folks who complain about what these people have done to get us to this point in the battlefield. Resources. U.S. troops, who had been slated to block fleeing terrorists or hopscotch around the battle zone, were immediately dropped into the gap to await Zias return. An unidentified Special Forces officer noted that the majority of the new forces were Pushtun and that their commanders had dropped old rivalries for the larger goal of eliminating the last of the al-Qaeda and Taliban pockets.41 On 10 March, the officer estimated that between 100 to 200 al-Qaeda forces remained in the valley and that U.S. forces were not approaching the most dangerous part of the war but were in it. The pilot said it was a dead guy "about 9 by 12 feet laying in a fetal position on the pallet. We cant expect them to be. The base of the Shah-i-Khot Valley is approximately 8,500 feet in altitude. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. TASK FORCE-AFGHANISTAN 26 March 2002 to 1 February 2006 GO 2009-15 1. The terrain is rugged, and the peaks have many spurs and ridges. On September 11, 2002, William Umbach and Harry Schmidt were officially charged with four counts of negligent manslaughter, eight counts of aggravated assault, and one count of dereliction of duty. The other soldier said: "It was a man at least 12 to 15ft high. The attackers left behind an unexploded grenade and several leaflets warning parents to keep their girls at home. Sends Troops Back to Base, NYT, 11 March 2002. Monday, February 25: The first units of a new Afghan army started training in Kabul. Later, the autopsies would label the deaths as homicides. Afghanistan's aviation and tourism minister. The reprimand, written by Carlson, said Schmidt had "flagrantly disregarded a direct order", "exercised a total lack of basic flight discipline", and "blatantly ignored the applicable rules of engagement". The two officials also spent much of their time discussing the growing problem of illegal drug smuggling. Sunday, December 29: A Pakistani border guard shot and wounded a U.S. soldier in the head in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province, just a few hundred yards from Pakistan's border. Charlie Company was also under fire from an al-Qaeda military compound about 200 meters from where they had landed. Once they sit down, D'Angelo turns to the new guy, Pvt. 28 November 2003 - Marines from 2d Battalion, 8th Marines (2/8) joined the coalition forces of Combined Joint Task Force-180 in pursuit of al-Qaida and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. A 107mm rocket was fired at a U.S. base near, A U.S. special forces soldier was airlifted from a U.S. base near, A rocket-propelled grenade hit the south wall of the, A rocket was launched from a truck near the town of, Afghan authorities released 87 Pakistani prisoners suspected of fighting alongside the formerTaliban government. "Let's just make sure that it's, that it's not friendlies, is all", he said. As the helicopters returned safely to Bagram Air Base, the sprawling hub of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, throngs of soldiers anxiously awaited their return.25, In addition to 7 U.S. dead, there were at least 40 wounded soldiers, of which 18 were treated and returned to duty.26 Another 9 Special Forces soldiers and 13 others arrived on 6 and 7 March at Germanys Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, all in good condition.27 As the smoke figuratively cleared, Franks estimated that U.S. and Afghan forces had killed from 100 to 200 al-Qaeda and Tali-ban fighters during the hilltop battle.28, Although the intensity of fighting slacked off on 5 March, allied Afghan commanders sent fresh platoons to the fight while troops in contact kept pressing forward with minesweepers clearing their way. Karzai said they were innocent and urged them to find jobs. We will almost never have perfect intelligence information. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is a large military operation, being carried . They were told not to move. Friday, December 27: In the Gardez District of Afghanistan, five people were killed and six wounded when guests at a wedding party fired a rocket propelled grenade into the air, only to have it land nearby and explode. [20], Associated Press, "Pilot Loses Lawsuit In Friendly Fire Case", September 23, 2007. They just kept sending them into our meat grinder. One Afghan villager said the people were told, If you want to leave or stay it is up to you, but were staying in those caves because they were ours in the holy war against Russia.4 The terrorists gave 700 sheep to the people of Shah-i-Khot for their troubles; others received bus fare. Declared missing in action or a prisoner of war. The findings of the four-member Canadian Tarnak Farm Board of Inquiry, chaired by General Maurice Baril, were released on June 28, 2002. As of 2 March 2002, Operation Anaconda was the largest combat operation in Afghanistan of the War on Terrorism that began after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001.